January 05, 2011

Infusing Personality Will Drive Engagement, Action, and Loyalty!

Why would people do business with you rather than anyone else? Do you know your ideal customer profile? Can you talk directly to them, and create an appeal that motivates your leads into action? Understanding the answers to these questions can make the difference in a campaign that engages and produces results versus the bland all-things-to-all-people same-ness that pervades B2B marketing.

Personality sells. But don’t take my word for it, it’s been proven. And your content needs to motivate your audience to act. To do that, you can’t be all things to all people – you’ve got to have a position, a sacred cow, something that you stand for no matter what.

Let’s take a look at some examples: Fox News, started in 1996 is now the #1 news show on cable TV. Studies have revealed that sixty-eight percent of their news contains personal opinions. They understand their audience and they provide news with a viewpoint that resonates with their viewers.

To carve out your niche, and a loyal following, you cannot sound the same as your competitors. Stay away from what everyone else is doing, and don’t be afraid to ruffle some feathers. When you know your ideal customer profile, and know them intimately, you can take a stand, talk directly to them, and not worry about pleasing everyone. You will be rewarded. When you try to be all things to all people, you end up pleasing nobody, and creating very little loyalty.

What might be suprising is that conflict is a universal human need, and without it we lose interest. If you can boldly and unapologetically put forth your ideas – you will be seen as a real leader. Do not shrink away from that, rather leverage it to create a brand personality that permeates loyalty in your target audience.

“Our preference for bias – for ideas that we are comfortable with – is one reason for the success of many blogs and websites: People with similar viewpoints want to read ramblings by people with other similar viewpoints. Don’t rock our mental boats; just give us more of whatwe already believe so that we can continue to feel good about our viewpoints, and give us something to rally behind and someone to cheer for,” writes Vicki Kunkel in her book, Instant Appeal: The 8 Primal Factors That Create Blockbuster Success.

Take it to heart when putting together your marketing content, and the voice for your organization. In the same book by Vicki Kunkel, she writes, “Several independent social science research studies clearly concluded that we run to the brand we know as a mental shortcut. [and in the case of Fox News] We would rather have the news of the day “interpreted” through an organization that shares our own views. We don’t have to think then; we can just nod our heads in agreement.”

To find out more about the 8 Primal Factors and start considering how you can leverage them, go read Vicki Kunkel’s book.